Saturday, July 30, 2011

1. Hunter Pence helps this team now. The Phils stink against LHP, and he has a .290 career average against lefties with an .850+ OPS.

2. Jarred Cosart and Jonathan Singleton are in Single-A. Far from guaranteed commodities. They may become stars, or they may never pan out. Pence is good now, will be good through 2013 and both Cosart and Singleton still might not even be in the Majors by then.

3. Joshua Zeid isn't a big loss. Whatever.

4. The Player to be Named Later (aka- PTBNL) is still up in the air. Doubtful it's a big time prospect or any contributor to the current Phillies 25-man roster.

5. Hunter Pence is under team control through 2013. Amaro just got 2 seasons and 2 months of an All-Star outfielder for Single-A prospects. That's awesome.

6. Ed Wade threw $1M the Phils way to help offset Pence's salary and the luxury tax threshold.

9. This is likely bad news for Domonic Brown though. Manuel loves his veterans and Ibanez is making a crap-ton of money, so he probably remains the starting LF for the rest of this season, despite Brown already being the better player. Dom probably goes to Lehigh Valley until rosters expand in September.

10. I keep reading "the Phillies overpaid". Um, okay. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and my opinion is this was a very good trade by Ruben Amaro. Well done sir, well done.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Octavio Dotel is 37 years old and currently in his 13th MLB season. He started his journey back in 1999 with the New York Mets. From there he's gone on to the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and now as of a couple days ago the St. Louis Cardinals. 12 teams, 13 seasons. Wow! He's a good pitcher too. Career #'s: 51-44, 667 G, 864.2 IP, 1045 K, 106 SV, 111 HLD, 3.75 ERA, and 1.25 WHIP.

The Red Birds needed bullpen help, so he's likely to remain there for the rest of the season, but it'll be interesting to see where Dotel lands next year.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

When thinking of winning pitchers in the game today, you likely go to Roy Halladay, CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, etc. Far from that list is a relief pitcher named Alfredo Aceves, but truth be told, he's a pure winner.

Alfredo Aceves is a winner. The 28 year old right-hander is in his 4th MLB season and owns a 20-2 record. He started off with the New York Yankees (2008-2010) and is now in his first season with the Boston Red Sox. With only 88 appearances under his belt, this vulture relief pitcher sure knows how to swoop in and grasp the W in his talons. Nicknamed "Ace", Aceves owns the best winning percentage in the history of the game out of pitchers with a minimum of 20 decisions (91%). Amazing!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Since this week has been relatively quiet in the baseball world, I thought I'd take the opportunity to post some drawings that I've done recently.

Though I am stuck in summer school, I have a habit of arriving two hours prior to my first class starting. This is so I can do my homework, but I often finish quickly and this leaves me with plenty of time to draw. So, armed with my phone, an internet connection, a pen, and my drawing book, I go to work.

So let the drawing dump commence, complete with links to the original photos I based my drawings on.

Carlos QuentinThe hard-hitting outfielder for my hometown Chicago White Sox, I make it known that he is my favorite player on the team. I drew this sometime prior to the All-Star Game, which he and Paul Konerko played in. But rumor has it that the Braves are seeking the services of my favorite slugger, so this pen sketch may make an encore appearance sometime in the future, depending on the outcome of the trade season.

Nomar GarciaparraWhen I was in my early to mid-teens, I idolized Nomar Garciaparra. Not only was he a good player, but I got such a kick out of watching him play with his gloves and re-velcro his uniform before going up to bat and between every pitch. When Garciaparra came to play for the Cubs, I was ecstatic and even bought a Cubs t-shirt with his name on the back. Unfortunately, Garciaparra's time in Chicago marked the beginning of the end of his career as a player, as his subsequent years in baseball were marred with injuries. Garciaparra finally retired in 2008, but life after baseball has been good to him cuz he's found a career as a decent color commentator for ESPN. I still get to see one of my favorite players on TV, only behind the mike this time and not on the field.

Vladimir GuerreroYeah, he's still playing. I was shocked to see that he still was active, given that he's older than dirt at this point. Sheer boredom produced this image, but I regard it as one of my better works cuz in this drawing, Vlad actually looks like he swung the bat.

Albert PujolsI admit-I don't like Albert Pujols. I think he's overrated, plus he plays for the Cardinals-a team that I never cared much for. Plus, the team is currently tied for second with the lowly Shitsburgh Pirates. With regard to Pujols, you either love him or hate his guts. Since it's been established that I don't like Pujols, why did I draw him? Well, when you're bored, you'll draw anything (or anyone) to pass the time.

And thus ends the drawing dump for Tamtam. If they look amateurish now, they'll get better with more practice.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The AL West has two teams going in complete opposite directions of one another. The division leading Texas Rangers are currently in the midst of a 12 game winning streak, while the Seattle Mariners are vying for the basement suffering through a 10 game losing streak.

Streak Facts:*The Rangers have outscored the opponent 77-24 during this 12 game hot streak. Wow!

*The Mariners have been outscored by opponent 47-16. That's less than 2 runs per game. Yikes!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

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Monday, July 18, 2011

Alfredo Aceves is a winner. The 28 year old right-hander is in his 4th MLB season and owns a 19-2 record. He started off with the New York Yankees (2008-2010) and is now in his first season with the Boston Red Sox. With only 85 appearances under his belt, this vulture relief pitcher sure knows how to swoop in and grasp the W in his talons. Nicknamed "Ace", Aceves owns the best winning percentage in the history of the game out of pitchers with a minimum of 20 decisions (90.5%). Amazing!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

After Derek Jeter FINALLY got his 3000th hit(and while we do congratulate him on the milestone accomplishment, quite frankly, we were sick of Jeter-mania all week), the OTHER main event in baseball this past week was the All-Star Game. This year, the game took place in my current state of Arizona, and while I did not go, it appeared to have been a blast.

One of the lucky players to be selected to the All-Star Game was none other than the youngest of the Catching Molina Bros., Yadier. But a few weeks prior to the game, I noticed something on Yadier that I had not noticed before.

Though I do not recall exactly WHEN I saw the new tats, I initially mistook them for hair plastered by sweat against his head. A second look disproved that, but I didn't get a good look at them until the Cardinals came to Phoenix to play the Diamondbacks, approximately a week before the All-Star Game.

While I generally don't have a problem with body art (take a look at Ryan "Tatman" Roberts, outfielder for my local D-backs, and baseball's REAL human canvas), there are certain places that a tattoo should not go, as is inferred by the guide below:

That being said, Yadier Molina's decision of where to get inked typically tend to be associated with three types of individuals:

Prostitutes

Since he's gettin' older, I wouldn't be surprised if Yadier has taken to walking St. Louis' red-light district at nights for the extra cash. Maybe he's thinking ahead and planning for life after baseball. After all, he's got two brothers and many relatives to support and baseball may not be enough to provide a comfortable lifestyle for all of them.

Gangbangers

I think this is the most likely explanation for Yadier Molina getting his neck tattooed.

Douchebags

Jersey Shore, anyone?

Like I said before, I typically don't have a problem with players having body art. I may think it tasteless or questionable, but in general, I don't care. However, there is a line that should not be crossed. I do believe that it is a good idea to keep body art covered up cuz tattoos, like jewelry, can be distracting to pitchers and players alike. Also, baseball is a family sport, and it would reflect poorly on Bud Selig and the PR department if all the players looked like they played for the LA Lakers basketball team (literally, walking canvases).

Saturday, July 09, 2011

This week, a terrible tragedy occurred at AmeriQuest Field. A man, Shannon Stone, tried to catch a ball tossed into the stands by Josh Hamilton for his son, only to tumble over the railing separating the seats from the field, and fall 20 feet to his death behind the outfield wall.

The incident rattled Hamilton severely, as he claimed that he could hear Stone's son screaming as his father fell down behind the outfield wall. He says he's getting by with the help of his family and his faith, and intends to reach out to the family of the dead man in the near future. But if Hamilton thought his week couldn't get any worse, it did when he hit a foul ball into the stands and clonked a fan on the head. That fan required stitches.

Though you can argue that the saintly Josh Hamilton has turned into baseball's most dangerous player-literally, I say that AmeriQuest Park is baseball's most dangerous stadium. I don't remember where I heard this, but building inspectors who came to look at AmeriQuest Field said that the railing which Shannon Stone tumbled over was too short. Someone could easily fall over it in the future.

This is actually the second fatality to take place at an MLB stadium this year. The first was at Coors Field in Denver, CO, where a fan attempted to slide down the railing of some stairs in the stadium, fell, and died after hitting his head on the concrete floor. Admittedly, the fan was acting recklessly, but it raised the question of stadium safety.

Nolan Ryan and the Rangers better cough up the money to fix their stadium, or else this will be the fate that awaits them in the near future:

Friday, July 08, 2011

You remember them, those cardboard pieces of gold from the 80's and 90's that you thought was going to pay for your children's college education. Who needs 401k when you have a vintage Rick Ankiel rookie card?

I never collected them for the money or gave much thought to what they were worth. I still to this day collect cards from my youth, but I use them to teach the game and the history to

my children more than I do to hopefully find something magical in that foil wrapper.

I tend to go to flea markets, card shops, yard sales, and anywhere else I can find a bargain. Got a box of 10,000 common cards that you have no idea what to do with and are tired of looking at? That's where I thrive. I'll drop minimal cash ($20-$30) for these pictures of my youth captured in thin cardboard and stained with a piece of gum that might have contained less nutritional value than the card itself.

It wasn't all that long ago that I did just this. I went by a local flea market with two of my boys in tow and purchased a flat of cards that the vendor was more than happy to see disappear from his stand. The seller figured he ju

st made $25 that he thought he would never see and I found a box of treasures to share with my kids.

That night, we sat at the kitchen table and started thumbing through them. I found cards of favorite players, specific memories, and of my favorite team (the St. Louis Cardinals). I shared various stories with them about the players, their interactions with the fans, and their careers. That is when I pulled out the card that made the whole lot worth the purchase.

I pulled out a Ron Hassey card and held it for the boys to see. I explained that this card featured my favorite player of my lifetime.

My oldest turned the card over to find statistics that he did not understand. You see, Hassey was a 14 year veteran of major league baseball, a catcher, and a journeyman. He never hit well, very seldom was the featured player on his team, had a career hi

gh 13 home runs in 1985, and was most likely forgotten by people that watched him play.

The look on his face was utter confusion. Why would this be my favorite player?

The answer to that question is as simple and as complex as my love of this game. In my mind, his career and his ability epitomized what I thought this game was all about.

His focus was on defense and managing his pitching staff. He threw out 31% of would be basestealers in his career. He carried a career catcher's ERA of 3.87. In 1991, his final season on an active roster, as a member of the Montreal Expos he was the oldest player in Major League Baseball. He spent time on six different rosters in the course of his career.

Still wonder why I liked him? Don't worry, so did my son.

It is Ron Hassey that suggests that maybe there is more to this game than the stats you can find online or on the back of a baseball card. There is more to the story of a player than what can be accessed quickly or summarized on three inches of cardboard. There is more to this wonderful game than numbers or pitches or even wins and losses.

On May 15, 1981, Hassey would take the field in Cleveland, Ohio. Hassey

would go one for four that day with a base hit in the bottom of the first inning that would be his team, the Indians, up 2-0. Obviously, Hassey wasn't the story as his battery mate, Len Barker, would take the mound and face exactly twenty seven Toronto Blue Jays, retiring them all in a perfect game.

If there was a theme to Hassey's career, it would probably be the trade. Hassey was involved in five trades in his career, but most remarkable would be what would happen between the end of the 1985 season and the trading deadline in 1986. During this time period, Hassey would be traded from the Yankees to the White Sox on December 12, 1985; from the White Sox to the Yankees on February 13, 1986; and finally from the Yankees to the White Sox on July 30, 1986. Moved in various package deals, three trades between two teams would involve the catcher.

It was 1991 when Hassey would make the mark on baseball that made me research him, collect his cards, and study his dedication to the game.

That year would be the final year of Hassey's career and he would go north of the border to Canada for one more year with the boys of summer. He would only play in 52 games that season, amassing a measly .227 batting average and scrapping out 14 runs batted in. It was the end of the line for the veteran, but the magic of the baseball gods would find him once again.

On July 28, 1991, Hassey would take the field with battery mate and MLB's first Nicaraguan-born player, Dennis Martinez. The Expos would take on the Dodgers that day in Los Angeles and Hassey would go one for three with a single. Hassey would reach on an error in the seventh inning scoring Larry Walker, though not getting credit for a run batted in due to the error. Walker had previously reached on an RBI triple scoring Martinez.

Those two runs would be all Martinez would need that day, as he would cruise through the Dodgers' lineup in perfect fashion. Twenty seven batters would come up and twenty seven would be retired, marking a perfect game for the Expos' right hander.

There it was, ten years apart from each other, but that was the moments that would define the catcher's career. Ron Hassey would go down in history as the only catcher in Major League history to be on the receiving end of two perfect games.

Moments like these remind so many of us about the poetry that is the game of baseball. It captures the mind, it produces the memories and the soundtracks that dominate our memories, and it draws the attention of young and old alike.

As my children and I dig through more baseball cards and I share more stories and memories with them, I look forward to sharing the moments with our readers and fans. After all you, you can never truly get enough, so we'll just keep dishing up More Hardball.

Bill Ivie runs i70baseball.com and drops some tweets on Twitter from time to time. He is a baseball historian and a self-proclaimed g33k.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

The Astros are back at it again. Losing and pitching only players with the last name Rodriguez. This marks the second time this season the Astros have sent 3 Rodriguez to the mound in the same game, and the last time they lost too. Once again Wandy Rodriguez started the game, followed by Fernando Rodriguez, then finished off by Aneury Rodriguez.

I guess this is Houston's idea of the 3 Amigos.

From June 24th:The Houston Astros used 3 pitchers last night, all with the last name Rodriguez. Starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez went 6 innings allowing 5 runs and picked up the loss. He was relieved by Fernando Rodriguez, who went 2 scoreless frames, and then Rule 5 pick Aneury Rodriguez finished off the game.

Not sure if this is the first time 3 Rodriguez's have pitched in the same game, but either way it's pretty damn amusing.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

The Howardby definition- anytime a player strikes out, hits a homerun, and commits an error in the same game.

The Howard co-winner in both the 2009 and 2010 upped his lead in the exclusive category with his 5th of the season. Congratulations Mark Reynolds. The young slugging, strikeout prone, erratic fielder has 14 Howards to his name since the creation of the stat prior to the 2009 season. 9 Howards were committed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the 5 most recent with the Baltimore Orioles. Mark Reynolds is truly The Howard King.Mark Reynolds has clubbed 96 homeruns, whiffed 520 times, and got the ugly E on defense 62 times since the beginning of the 2009 season.

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